


Midnight Memories

by kissthefrogking



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 5 Times, Alternate Universe, Fluff, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, i think, not the movie though, real life age gap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-31
Updated: 2013-12-31
Packaged: 2018-01-06 21:46:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1111863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissthefrogking/pseuds/kissthefrogking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“like clockwork the boy with the dimples finds him once more shortly before the fireworks will be going off in celebration of the New Year”</p>
<p>or the four times Louis doesn’t kiss anyone on New Year’s Eve and the one time he does</p>
            </blockquote>





	Midnight Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I think it's obvious where the title comes from.
> 
> Obviously, I don't own anything or anyone except for the word order :D
> 
> Enjoy reading!

**I. New Year’s Eve 2009**

“Louis, hun!” His Mum has two sleepy girls by her side. The girl he had just been talking to snickers and then disappears.

“Can you take those two upstairs? The second door on the right” So Louis extends his hands for the twins to take. They smile at him sleepily and it’s quite adorable. He’d rather spend time with his sisters than with some random girl anyways. He thinks there might be something wrong with that, maybe.

He takes the two upstairs. The room seems to be the master bedroom. Louis wouldn’t let some guest’s daughters sleep in his room. He tugs them in and they seem to fall asleep immediately, so he leaves the room quietly. He considers going back downstairs, but the chatter that carries up the stairs doesn’t sound all that appealing. That's why he just sits down against the hallway wall. He’ll go down in just a few minutes, but he can be alone upstairs just as well as downstairs. It’s not like he really knows anyone at this party.

“Are you hiding up here?” The voice sounds annoying, a bit like when his little sister asks ‘why?’ for the tenth time in a row. It belongs to a boy that is definitely younger than Louis. He still has baby fat and his curls make him look younger as well.

“What are _you_ doing up here then? Hiding out?” Louis asks back and the boy juts out his bottom lip.

“I asked you first” He’s such a child.

“So?” He’s trying to stare the other boy down, tries to intimidate him, so he’ll leave.

“You’re definitely hiding out!” The boy exclaims in triumph.

“What if I really were?” They boy seems to consider that.

“Why would you though?” He wants to know and that’s a bit personal innit? Louis just shrugs in response because he doesn’t really know after all. Maybe he was just tired of all the grown-up talk.

“Do you want to climb on the roof with me to watch the fireworks?” The boy scruffs his shoe against the carpet and he’s not looking Louis in the eye while asking, just occasionally peeks up to gauge his reaction, probably. It’s proper adorable, so Louis gets up with a sigh. Doesn’t want to disappoint this boy.

“Lead the way” He states and the boy fucking beams at him. He has dimples and Louis is glad he at least can make one person’s night better. Even if it’s some strange boy.

Dimples grabs his hand dragging him along. There’s another set of stairs and then they’re in a spacious attic. In the middle of the room there’s a ladder leading up to a dormer window.

“It might get a bit cold, so” The boy grabs a blanket and then he’s climbing up the ladder, opens the window and disappears out on the roof. Louis follows him without hesitation. He’s not gonna be shown up by some 13 year old.

Louis’ breath gets stuck in his throat for just a second once he’s out on the roof. It’s quite far down after all, but he decides to rather concentrate on the view which is spectacular. There are no clouds in the sky and the stars are clearly visible.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” mumbles Dimples and Louis just nods in agreement. He follows the boy, who climbs further up and finally gets settled close to the ridge. He throws the blanket around the both of them and if it weren’t that cold out Louis would shrug it off, because it’s a bit too intimidate for his liking.

“Just one minute left till midnight” states the boy. Louis just continues staring up in the night sky. Wisps of conversation from the people in the garden downstairs carry up to the roof. The loudest of them all is the countdown till midnight though.

Louis has to admit he had imagined this New Year’s Eve going completely different. He’s 18. He wanted to get smashed with his friends and kiss some pretty girl at midnight; instead he’s sitting here next to some kid.

The view of the fireworks is spectacular though.

Once the fireworks have stopped the boy gets up gives him a sheepish smile and disappears inside with a mumbled “Happy New Year”. At least he leaves the blanket behind. Louis doesn’t get off the roof until his Mum calls his mobile.

 

**II. New Year’s Eve 2010**

Louis is perched outside on a bench having fled his friend who vehemently had tried to set him up with some girl. The stars sparkle in the sky and it’s a shame that they’ll be obscured by fireworks in just a few moments time. The cold air is biting, but it’s better than inside in the stuffy house where he’s introduced to one pretty face after another.

“Your mate’s looking for you” Louis nearly has a heart attack. There’s a boy, _the_ boy, with two flutes of fizzy wine standing in front of him. Louis hadn’t even noticed his approach. To occupied gazing at the stars. He looks a bit older, but definitely still too young to be at this kind of party, but what does Louis know? The boy offers him one glass and Louis takes it greedily. Nothing better than alcohol to get through the night. All things considered he’s still surprisingly sober. He drowns the flute in one go and places it on the bench.

“He’s not very good at finding me, is he?” He retorts his words curling up into the night sky as mist. The boy sits down on the back rest next to him. Louis wonders what he must think of him. It’s the second time the boy finds him hiding out at a New Year’s Eve party after all.

“It’s a good place to hide” Dimples says in return. And it might be now, but not for much longer. It’s only minutes till midnight and all the partygoers will spill outside to watch the fireworks.

“He’ll find me soon enough” Louis mumbles and the boy nudges his shoulder.

“Well, if you don’t want to be found, you better come on” He jumps to his feet indicating for Louis to follow his lead. Louis is reluctant at first. It is weird to spend two New Year’s Eves in a row with a virtual stranger. But then the music grows louder as if someone has pushed open the sliding doors leading into the garden and he’s by the boy’s side in the blink of an eye. The boy laughs at him unabashedly showing off his dimples.

“Lou? You out there?!” And then Louis grabs the boy’s hand and drags him along. They jump over the fence separating the two gardens and Louis is pretty sure if it weren’t for his hand the other boy would have fallen down. They laugh breathlessly as they come to a halt two gardens over.

The house is dark. Its habitants probably already out in the street or at a friend’s place. Its black windows look menacing and Louis is painfully aware that the boy bend in half clutching his sides is just a stranger after all. A stranger, whose parents know his Mum probably and who has mutual friends, but a stranger nevertheless. He’s debating going back. How bad can it be kissing some girl to ring in the New Year? It’s what he wanted last year after all.

“You coming or what?” The boy asks and Louis hadn’t even realised he had moved from his side. He looks back to Stan’s house. He can see the silhouettes of people spilling outside. The formerly so peaceful garden getting crowed.

“Yeah alright” And this time the other boy grabs his hand and they walk around the house. They come out on the street. It’s oddly deserted. There are people in front of Stan’s house and a few further up.

“What now?” Louis whispers. He doesn’t know why he’s lowered his voice, but somehow the atmosphere seems to call for it.

“Now, we’ll watch the fireworks from up there” The boy points to the roof of the house behind them. He seems to have a thing for roofs. It has a garage next to it and it’s not impossible to get up there, but it’s definitely against the law. “Come on! Don’t be a spoilsport” The boy laughs and pulls him along and well, Louis is everything but a spoilsport. So they climb up on the garage roof, thank god for water butts.

They’re getting settled down when they hear the unmistakable cheers of “10, 9, 8…” back from Stan’s house. They share a smile. The boy’s with dimples and Louis wonders for a brief second if the boy whose name he doesn’t even know would let him kiss him, but then Dimples titles his head up and watches the stars until they’re drowned by exploding colours. There are blue and red and green and golden sparkles erupting in the sky all around them. They’re also reflected in the other boy’s eyes. It’s beautiful.

Louis doesn’t know for how long they sit out there just watching, first the firework and then the sky, the stars’ brightness dulled by the smoke the fireworks have left behind, but at some point Dimples phone rings and they slip of the roof.

“I’ll see you around Louis” The boy whispers and before Louis can react and ask for his name this time around, the other boy runs a finger along his cheek and then runs away, back to the party. Louis watches him go dumbfounded.

 

**III. New Year’s Eve 2011**

Louis might already be pleasantly drunk. It’s the sole reason he’s clinging to Zayn right now, not because he doesn’t want to lose his best mate to the girl that has been smiling flirtingly at him for the past few minutes or so.

“Look, Lou. Just find someone you can chat to! What about the girl over there? She’s in my literature class. Her name’s Gemma, I think” Zayn states while trying to pry Louis’ hands of his waist.

“I don’t want to hook up with a girl” He whines and Zayn just laughs at him, grabs his hands in his and then pushes him away. Louis staggers for a few seconds before he finds his footing. He glares at Zayn, who has slid up next to the girl immediately. What an arsehole.

“That wasn’t very nice” remarks a female and it turns out to be the girl Zayn had pointed to. Louis likes her instantly.

“No, he’s an arsehole abandoning his best mate to go snog a girl” He huffs and the girl – Gemma, Louis thinks – laughs, before her expression grows more sombre.

“You’re not madly in love with him, are you?” Louis nearly chokes on his laughter. He’s glad he’s gotten over the searing panic whenever someone just hinted at him being interested in men by now. University is a wonderful place in that aspect.

“While I’ll have to admit he’s really attractive I mean obviously, no, I’m not madly in love with him” He smiles at Gemma before realising maybe she just wanted to find out whether he might be interested in her. “I’m gay though” He tucks on. Gemma just continues smiling at him, no disappointed there. Louis is a bit put out to be honest. He still wants to be appealing to women, like it’s good for his ego and all.

“So are you looking for someone to kiss at midnight? I could set you up with someone” She’s waggling her eyebrows.

“I’m not that desperate” He refuses and Gemma laughs again. “I’m Louis by the way”

“Oh I know. You were a year behind me in school, right troublemaker you were” She’s grinning and does Louis have to feel bad for not recognizing her? He squints his eyes sizing her up.

“OMG! Stan had the biggest crush on you” He remembers suddenly and Gemma laughs again.

“I’m glad I’m memorable after all” She jokes and yeah, Louis definitely likes her. They continue to chat for a while until a boy slides up next to Gemma and drags her away to dance. Of course, she has a boyfriend. Louis feels pathetically single. Maybe he should have taken Gemma up on that offer after all. Louis is pretty sure she knows lots of proper handsome guys.

“Guy at 12 o’clock having the hots for you” Zayn whispers as he walks by arm slung around the girl’s waist. Oh to be Zayn just for one night. He always has someone to make-out within the first 10 minutes after arriving at a party. Well, expect Louis keeps him like tonight, but still Zayn is the one with the girl and Louis is still alone. Well, if Zayn is right that could be changed though.

He turns around and his eyes meet green ones for a second before Dimples quickly adverts his eyes and what are the bloody chances for them running into each other at a New Year’s Eve party in London? He considers going over. It’d be better than standing around all alone. The boy makes the decision for him.

“Hi!” He chirps and he does look like he aged two years at least since they last saw each other. Most of the baby fat is gone and his hair is a bit longer. Louis can’t believe he’s noticing all of this.

“Hi. Fancy seeing you here” He has to bite back a smile as Dimples’ face splits into a beam.

“You, uh, wanna come to the roof with me? To, um, watch the , eh, fireworks?” It’s adorable how he stumbles over his words. Louis hates to shut him down.

“It’s bloody snowing outside, no way” Dimples pouts at him and for fuck’s sake Louis doesn’t remember being that weak.

“If I get fucking frostbite, it’s your fault” He grumbles and the boy beams at him again. He is just so easy to please.

“Well, come on then!” They’re nearly out the flat door when Dimples reconsiders and stops walking. Louis nearly runs into him. “We probably should take our coats” They try to find their coats in the heap lying on the owner’s bed. They locate them after a few minutes.

“We have to hurry now!” Dimples states with a glance to his phone. He grabs Louis’ hand and drags him out the flat door and up the stairs. Thank god, no climbing on roofs is involved this time. They can just walk out on the flat roof. Snow is whirling around them and Louis sticks close to Dimples’ side.

“Are you sure there even will be a firework?” Louis questions suspiciously. He highly doubts there are nutters out there shooting fireworks in this kind of weather.

“Of course. It’s New Year’s Eve” The boy retorts and well, if he says so. They stand in silence next to each other, snowflakes covering their hair. Dimples repeatedly ruffles his to shake it out. It’s kind of adorable the way his face scrunches up while doing so.

Louis slips out his mobile and stares at the time. It’s just one minute to midnight. He counts the seconds in his head and when he gets to twenty the first fireworks go off. The boy beams at him.

“Told you so!” Louis rolls his eyes, but the boy just continues smiling at him, his left dimple more prominent than the right. Louis really wants to kiss him right now. But then there’s other people spilling out on the roof and the spell is broken, so Louis turns away and watches the fireworks.

“Happy New Year” mumbles Dimples after a while, Louis barely able to hear it over the noise of the others and the fireworks.

“You too” And then someone jumps on his back and before he can say anything else he watches as Dimples disappears in the mass of people still spilling onto the roof.

Zayn presses a kiss to his cheek. It’s not the kind of kiss Louis had been hoping for though. But he still smiles at Zayn and wishes him a Happy New Year as well.

 

**IV. New Year’s Eve 2012**

“Louis!!” Gemma slurs. She’s already proper drunk. It’s New Year’s Eve though, so she can be excused. Her boyfriend has slung an arm around her waist, steadying her. Louis wishes he had someone doing that for him too. He’s not drunk yet, but for the principle of the matter he would like a person to steady him as well. Point is Louis would like to have a boyfriend.

“Gemma!” He chirps and the boyfriend drags Gemma along as soon as they have exchanged a kiss on each cheek in greeting. Louis disappears into the mess that is Gemma’s flat right now as well.

He’s looking for Zayn and finds him leaning against the rest of the couch talking to a girl with lilac hair. He thinks Zayn mentioned her before. The girl has slung her arm around another boy though. Louis knows that boy. He looks a lot leaner and grown-up and Louis can’t believe they’re at the same New Year’s Eve party _again_. He doesn’t go over. He’s not drunk enough and anyways, it’s ridiculous.

He ends up playing beer bong with Niall and he’s reasonably tipsy staggering towards the bathroom when someone slings a steadying arm around his waist. He doesn’t read into it. Just because he wanted a person, doesn’t mean it has to be _him_. They have seen each other a total of four times now.

“It’s nearly midnight” the boy rasps into his ear and of fucking course.

“I need to piss!” Louis huffs. The boy laughs and Louis fights down the urge to poke his dimple.

“Well, hurry then! Don’t want to miss the fireworks, do we?” Louis hates knowing that he won’t even protest spending the end and the beginning of the year with this person. Dimples pushes into the bathroom behind him and Louis squeaks in protest.

“What? I’m not letting you die” The boy states and it doesn’t even make sense, so Louis makes a disgruntled noise and the boy laughs at him again and this time Louis doesn’t resits and pokes his dimple. Sue him. He’s drunk. The world seems to stop spinning then, the boy’s laugh freezing into a beaming smile. Louis is so done.

He turns away and takes a piss, actually managing to hit the toilet bowl and to ignore the boy standing in the shower.

“What now?” he huffs once his prick is back in his trousers and the boy is by his side again eyeing him.

“Now, you wash your hands” He states and Louis feels all of five years old being scolded, especially as the boy is looking down at him. He’s pretty sure he wasn’t taller the last time.

He washes his hands without a comment and the boy smiles at him.

“Happy?” Louis huffs and the boy grabs his hand. Louis takes that as a yes. He has to admit it would have been a shame if Dimples wouldn’t have held his hand just because Louis is an unhygienic drunk.

The boy drags him out of the bathroom a few people catcalling. Louis flips them off. The boy squeezes his hand.

They end up in the stairwell and Louis is appalled he isn’t even questioning anymore.

“The view from the roof is spectacular” Dimples states and they climb two sets of stairs before emerging on the roof through a metal door. The boy props it open with a stone while Louis steps towards the edge of the roof leaning against the banister. Dimples is by his side in just a matter of moments. There’s no stars in the London night sky. Louis has come to learn this by now. It’s always disappointing though, especially if there is a lovely boy next to him, who he could star gaze with.

They stand there in silence for a few minutes until the fireworks go off. Louis had started shivering a while ago, so the boy has draped himself all over him. Louis could simply turn around and press a kiss to the boy’s lips. The moment passes when his phone blows up with New Year wishes. This time it’s him who leaves Dimples behind to take a call from his mother before the fireworks have even stopped.

“Happy New Year, Louis” he calls after him and it’s so unfair, because he doesn’t know his name. He offers a smile in return and then brings the phone to his ear.

“Hey Mum. You too” The boy is back to looking at the fireworks. “No, you know me” He’s back in the stairwell. “No-one to kiss at midnight”

 

**+I. New Year’s Eve 2013**

Louis had considered just spending his whole break, including New Year’s Eve at home, ringing in the New Year next to his Mum. His eldest youngest sister made him feel awfully pathetic though because she’s spending it with friends for the first time. On top of that Zayn had been whining how Perrie had the perfect boy for him to kiss at midnight, so he gave in eventually.

That’s why he’s sitting on the couch in Zayn’s and Perrie’s flat, a bottle of beer in his hand watching couples including Perrie and Zayn make out.

“You look properly gloomy” The someone who plops down next to him states. His voice is deep and raspy. It’s a nice voice.

“Yeah well, I was promised a cute boy to kiss at midnight, but my fairy godmother got distracted” He motions towards Perrie and there’s the unmistakable laughter next to him. Louis wipes his head around so fast he fears he has dislodged it. He’s faced with gleaming green eyes and dimples and it’s not even close to midnight.

“I’d offer my services, but you don’t want to mess with Pezza” Louis just stares at him for a second. “You’re awfully confident. Just offering when I was talking about cute boys” The boy laughs again showing off his dimple. Louis might not be drunk enough for this.

“Am I not cute, Louis?” The boy, well, he’s more of a man by now, is pouting and yep, Louis is not drunk enough for this. He takes a sip from his beer all the while not breaking eye contact.

“Never said you weren’t. It’s just awfully presumptuous of you to assume so yourself” Definitely not drunk enough if he can use words like ‘presumptuous’ without a second pause. Dimples is laughing once more. Louis really likes his laugh.

“You know, what’s really presumptuous?” Louis shakes his head ‘no’. Obviously, Dimples isn’t drunk enough for this either. Whatever ‘this’ actually is. “Assuming I’d get to spend midnight with you again” And then he’s gone and Perrie is by Louis’ side with a guy that isn’t half as cute as the boy with the dimples and Louis is definitely not drunk enough for that.

His name is Liam and he’s nice and they get along great, but Louis has an inkling they both don’t really want to kiss at midnight.

They’re both pretty drunk when it’s half an hour to midnight and Liam is slurring about his ex that broke up with him before Christmas and Louis just calls Liam’s ex colourful swearwords. They have a lot of fun, but Louis still wants to kiss a cute boy at midnight, well one cute boy really, so he excuses himself, but not before exchanging numbers, to go looking for Dimples.

A while later he’s leaning against the wall in the hallway defeated, because he has looked everywhere and the flat isn’t even that big. With a sigh he decides to leave it and hopes one can access the roof of the building. You have to keep up some traditions after all.

He’s looking out over London or at least the houses in the immediate vicinity when like clockwork the boy with the dimples finds him once more shortly before the fireworks will be going off in celebration of the New Year.

“I saw your cute boy all alone downstairs” Louis feels bad for Liam for a second, but then Dimples is by his side and they’re facing each other.

“Turned out he’s the wrong cute guy after all and he’s not nearly cute enough for my liking anyways” The boy smiles at him with dimples.

“Have you seen Liam’s puppy eyes? They are proper cute” Louis can’t believe this boy is fighting him on this. Louis wants to say his name in an exasperated manner. He settles for an exasperated “you!”

“It’s Harry” The boy gives and Louis tests out the name in his head for a moment, before “Harry!” It comes out softer than intended. Louis dares to place his hand in the crook of Harry’s arm.

“I’m more of a cat person, actually, so puppy dog eyes don’t really do it for me” He deadpans and Harry’s eyes are sparkling with repressed laughter.

“I’ve been told I’m a real life kitten” He says his voice full of laughter, even though he looks kind of shy in that moment. Like he’s not sure Louis is really going for it. They really can’t have that, so Louis pushes up on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Harry’s lips.

Harry’s arm is around his waist immediately pulling him closer.

“Guess you get to kiss a cute boy at midnight after all” He mumbles against Louis’ lips. Louis pulls back a fraction raising his eyebrow.

“What did I tell you about just assue-” Harry shuts him up with a kiss just as the first fireworks erupt in the sky.


End file.
